Waterlife – Max Foundation

Investing in Impact

P4G has awarded the partnership with about US $203,000 in grant funding. 

Only 42% of Ethiopia’s population has access to clean drinking water with urban areas generally having more access than rural areas. This lack of water access leads to a host a health and safety issues, the latter primarily affecting women and girls who have to go on long journeys to gather water for their families. 

Waterlife is a water startup that increases access to safe and affordable drinking water by rehabilitating non-functioning water pumps, constructing new water points, and establishing water kiosks that offer purified water. 

The startup has developed WatApp, an app used for payment, scheduling water deliveries and gathering customer feedback. The app also allows for remote monitoring to ensure water quality. 

The startup has two revenue streams: 

• Rehabilitated water pumps outfitted with smart water monitors to allow for easy fee collection
• Smart water kiosks operated through a franchise model that allow customers to pay via WatApp 

During the partnership period, Waterlife will identify and fix 24 non-functioning water points. The startup will also train government staff on using its app, collective tariffs and the carbon market. The startup will also develop a carbon strategy as part of its updated business plan and finance model. 

Max Foundation is an international nonprofit with deep expertise in supporting entrepreneurs scale innovative water solutions. Max Foundation will help Waterlife identify banks and investors who have invested in the water sector. The nonprofit will also conduct national and regional workshops with Waterlife to influence policy in the water sector. 

Over the next 18 months, Waterlife aims to raise US $75,000 in investment. Through this innovative solution, it will provide full-time jobs to more than 50 people and provide more than 80,000 people with access to safe drinking water. 

The partnership comprises the following partners: Waterlife (lead business partner); Max Foundation (lead administrative partner).